1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to the field of casino gaming, and more specifically to a modified blackjack game suitable for multiple players. The invention further relates to a modified blackjack game where the players have the option to discard their original two cards in exchange for forfeiting an ante.
2. Background Information
The basic game of blackjack, or “21” is a well-known and fairly simple casino game. Blackjack is typically played with one or more standard decks of 52 playing cards. Normally, the game is played at a table with the dealer on one side, and an opposite edge where one or more players are positioned. The blackjack table itself may be covered with felt or another material and typically has various markings indicating the locations of the players as well as other information, such as house rules and betting locations.
The object of blackjack is for the player to accumulate a hand of cards having a point total that is greater than the dealer's point total, while at the same time not exceeding twenty-one. Numbered cards have a point value equal to the number on the card. Jacks, queens and kings, or “face” cards, each have a point value of ten. Aces are assigned a point value of one or eleven as determined by the person holding one or more aces. A two-card hand having a point total of twenty-one is known as “blackjack.”
Play is normally commenced by each player placing a wager on the outcome of the upcoming hand. The range for the initial wager at the table is typically regulated by the casino. Players usually indicate their wager by placing an appropriate number of chips or markers, each of which has a value assigned to it, in a designated area of the table. After the players place their wagers, the dealer deals cards to each of the players and to himself. Each player and the dealer is initially dealt two cards, and the dealer typically has one card face down and one card face up. The players' cards are typically dealt face up. The dealer normally deals one card to himself, then one card to each player starting from his left and proceeding to his right. The dealer then deals a second card to himself and again deals a second card to each player moving from his left to right.
After the dealer and each player has been dealt an initial hand of two cards, each player in turn elects to receive one or more additional cards (“hit”), or to take no additional cards (“stand”). A player may elect to take additional cards until they decide to stand or until the point total of the player's hand exceeds twenty-one, known as “busting.” Once all the players have either received their desired number of cards or have busted, the dealer elects to take cards or to stand. Under most rules, the dealer may not receive additional cards if the dealer's existing hand has a total point value of seventeen or greater, and the dealer is required to take an additional card if the dealer's existing hand has a point total of less than seventeen.
Once all of the players and the dealer have received a desired number of cards or have busted, the hand is complete and outcome of the game is determined. If the dealer has busted, each player that has not busted is paid an amount equal to their initial wager. If the dealer has not busted, each player whose point total exceeds the dealer's point total is paid an amount equal to their initial wager. If the dealer has not busted, each player that has either busted or has a point total less than the dealer's point total that is equal to the dealer's point total keeps his or her initial wager. If the dealer has not busted, each player that has a point total that is the same as the dealer's point total keeps his initial wager. If the dealer has busted and a player has a two-card hand that is equal to twenty one, the player is paid an amount that is equal to one and a half times the amount of their initial wager. If the player has a two-card hand that is equal to twenty-one and the dealer also has a point total of twenty-one, the player keeps their initial wager.
The conventional game of blackjack can be played with one or more decks of standard playing cards.
The conventional game of blackjack described above has been supplemented with a number of alternative betting procedures, including “doubling down,” insurance and splitting pairs.
The traditional game of blackjack is easy to learn and is popular with players, but it is a fast moving game without many options. A player can only stay with the cards he has, or hit to add cards from the undealt remainder until he busts or is comfortable with his total. It would be advantageous to give players more choices to give them more control over their destiny. This would also benefit the casino, because players would remain interested in the game for a longer time, and would remain at the table for a longer period.
Furthermore, it is desirable for casinos to be able to stop “advantage players” or “card counters” as they are referred to in the blackjack world. These players are able to gain an advantage over the house by keeping track of the cards previously dealt in earlier hands. By tracking the cards, the player can deduce whether his odds of winning the next hand are better or worse. By counting cards, a player knows when to wager a lot or a little on each hand. Although this practice is legal, it is severely discouraged by casinos. One embodiment of the present invention prevents the practice of card counting, as the cards that are folded by the player are not visible to the other players.